Cake, the Swedish maker of electric two-wheelers, is branching out with the development of the Kibb, an electric, semi-autonomous, all-terrain four-wheeler designed for the unique needs of regenerative farming. The new vehicle is designed to handle light agricultural tasks autonomously with minimal impact on delicate ecosystems. The company is targeting to bring the machine into production by 2025.
Founded in 2016, Cake is well known for its design-led premium, lightweight, electric motorcycles and mopeds, with a mission to inspire a zero-emission society by combining excitement and responsibility. The company’s model range currently consists of three platforms: the versatile off-roader Kalk, the modular utility bike Ösa, and the urban commuter Makka. It addresses a range of users and applications, including commercial use for last-mile delivery and other short-haul urban transportation, with an extensive range of accessories and configurations.
All Cake vehicle names derive from the island of Gotland. The Kibb name comes from the local, ancient language Gutniska and means ox, representing strength combined with gentleness and a positive impact on biodiversity.
As the company sees it, machines employed for farming at scale contribute heavily to global greenhouse gas emissions and negatively impact the ecosystems the world relies on for healthy food cultivation. With the new four-wheeler, it aims to provide a lower-impact agricultural transport option and support a growing movement toward sustainable farming.
“Sustainable and responsible farming is vital for healthy ecosystems and we are aiming to make Kibb the number one tool for all future farmers,” said Stefan Ytterborn, CEO and Founder of Cake.
The multifunctional battery-powered ATV is capable of operating with or without a human driver. Performing simple tasks autonomously will free up time for operators to focus on other farm- and ranch-related tasks while the Kibb is at work. Its modular body will have different attachment points to allow for compatibility with a variety of ATV accessories, and it can serve as a mobile power station.
The Kibb electric quad was first conceptualized by Cake Designer Fanny Jonsson during her Master’s thesis work at Umeå Institute of Design. Jonsson interned with Cake’s product design team as part of her thesis in 2022 and harnessed their expertise in product development to render the Kibb electric ATV platform.
Since her graduation, Cake has brought Jonsson onto the brand’s product development team full-time, where she will help bring the Kibb from a rendering to reality.
“Not only was the result from Fanny’s thesis an incredible achievement, but it was such an impressive reflection of the core Cake values, that it was impossible not to turn the Kibb into reality,” added Ytterborn.
The Kibb is still in its early development. To make a vehicle that addresses the needs of future farmers, Cake plans to begin by investigating the problems they face. To move the ATV from a concept to an industrial tool by 2025, Cake will work closely with farmers from a diverse set of disciplines including organic farming, permaculture, and regenerative agriculture to address the mechanical challenges they face.
“When I started to build out the concept, I had real-world challenges in mind, and explored heavily where there is the most unlocked potential on the market,” said Jonsson. “Starting from the core Cake DNA combined with a new vehicle type was truly exciting. And that Cake started manufacturing this and is giving everyone the opportunity to follow the progress from my renderings and concept to reality is an honor as well as a great tool to take zero emissions, regenerative farming to the next level.”
The brand welcomes consumers to follow along on the journey of trial and error as Cake digs deep into the soil at farms around the world leading up to its anticipated release of the Kibb in 2025.
You can follow the Kibb journey at www.ridecake.com/kibb.
